Barrie's own Mitchell "The Moose" Hooper is making an impression on the international strongman stage, but also has a focus on helping Canadians better their health.
Hooper is a professional strongman, a sport that he says encompasses all elements of strength and power to determine who can move things from A to B ... with some of those "things" weighing over 1000 lbs.
The 27-year-old is new to the sport, competing for roughly three years now, but has seen steady improvement - including six podium finishes in a row.
His most recent accomplishments were first place at the Arnold Classic Championship in the UK three weeks ago, and the top spot at the Giants Live World Tour Finals.
Hooper says his best event within strongman is the Yoke (an event where an apparatus holds weight and is placed on the competitors' shoulders, who then carry it a certain distance). At the Arnold UK competition, he set a world record by taking a 500-kilo (just over 1102 lbs) Yoke 10 metres in 5.7 seconds.
Hooper, standing 6'3" and weighing in at 325 lbs, has been a multi-sport athlete over his years playing hockey, golf, American football, and marathon running. He attributes his success in strongman events, like the Yoke, to years of training in different athletic disciplines.
"I think the strength in my lower limbs really carries me through, particularly in my shins with the smaller muscles," Hooper told Barrie 360. "I think for me, it's just second nature and something that I don't really need to train."
PODCAST: We catch up with Hooper to talk more about Strongman competitions (and more local news)
Hooper, who uses Athletic Kulture in Barrie as his main training facility, says preparing for strongman is unique and has its difficulties.
"You don't get sore muscles, but you get a tired nervous system," said Hooper. "So, as you get further and further into the training season, you get a higher level of fatigue during the day, your appetite changes, and it's difficult to sleep. Those things are the most challenging parts."
Eating enough food to keep his size isn't an issue, he says. Hooper keeps a good regimen for consumption, taking in about 5500 calories a day and 500 grams of protein.
"Thankfully, I'm someone who has a bigger appetite, and I'm quite comfortable being this weight," said Hooper. "There's a lot of guys who are 375, 400, 425 lbs and they really have to force-feed themselves. But for me, I can be as strong as I am while being relatively lighter compared to the competition."
Hooper was dubbed the title, "The Moose," when he started competing in strongman in Australia.
"Someone in the crowd shouted it at me, and it just sort of stuck," said Hooper. "I came back and I think I'm the third or fourth Moose in Canada."
The Barrie athlete is headed into the 2023 World's Strongest Man competition as one of the favourites, and says he feels it's within reach to capture the title.
"I think being able to go in and win that title is something that's definitely on the cards," said Hooper.
"But for me, it's about being able to use this to leverage myself to impact as many people as possible and to push forward general health, and hopefully inspire people who don't necessarily exercise otherwise ... I really don't care if somebody can outlift me or if they've won this many championships. For me, it's 'What are you doing with that, and how are you using that to better the world?'"
Hooper isn't only an athlete, but also works as the director of Longevity Nexum in Barrie, a clinic that helps people with mobility issues, strength training, and overall health.
He completed a master's degree in exercise physiology while in Australia, with the goal of bringing that knowledge back to Canada.
"Every single person in my family has needed expert advice in exercise from someone who has knowledge about medical conditions or other unique circumstances, and there was nowhere for them to go," said Hooper. "So, I wanted to first and foremost bring that back to be able to help my family, and I figured if my family is in need there's a lot of other people who are in need as well."
Hooper says his goal is to change the thought process on physical activity and exercise in relation to health.
"If you can exercise regularly, if you can move regularly, you stave off all these chronic diseases that are becoming endemic in our society, whether it's heart disease, diabetes, or just living with general chronic pain," said Hooper. "There's so many people out there who have back pain for 20 years, shoulder pain for 20 years, and they just assume that that's their life. And really, there's a much better option for them."
The strongman competitor has lived in Barrie, Guelph, and Sydney, Australia, but says Barrie is the perfect place for him and his objective.
"That's why I wanted to bring it back here. That's why I wanted it to be in my hometown first. But the goal is to build clinics across Canada so that every Canadian can have access to this type of care."
If people are interested in getting in touch and learning more about Longevity Nexum, give them a call at 1 (800) 963-4409, you can also find them on Instagram at Longevity Nexum, their website, or send an email to info@longevitynexum.ca
Hooper's next competition will be the 2022 Rogue Invitational down in Texas, which runs from October 28-30. He says if he wins this competition, he'll cement himself as the best in the world.
Visit Rogue Invitational's live stream via YouTube to see Hooper in action.
Images/videos via Mitchell Hooper
